Should We Stay or Should We Go - Our Travel Journal

One of my favorite things about travel isn’t found in guidebooks or five-star reviews. It’s that unexpected moment—when you turn off the main road, stretch your legs, and discover something quietly wonderful. No signs. No warning. Just the quiet magic of being in the right place, with no rush to be anywhere else. Some of my favorite memories have come from these unplanned detours. They’re not grand, but they’re most memorable. (Like this gem we discovered yesterday, just off the road between Port Alberni and Ucluelet, in British Columbia.) And more often than not, they remind me why I started traveling in the first place. So here’s to the little gems we don’t expect—and the time to notice them when they appear.

After a very restless night and an early morning flight, we touched down in Victoria, BC, feeling like zombies on autopilot. You know that foggy-headed, slightly grumpy state where caffeine and the promise of a bed at the other end is the only thing keeping you upright? That was us. We shuffled off the plane, grateful for the tiny airport, and managed to snag our rental car without too much trouble. It felt a little surreal stepping into that crisp West Coast air, even if we were too tired to fully appreciate it. The car was loaded up in no time, and with a quick pit stop at the grocery store to grab whatever groceries we would need in the coming days, we were on the road. No time to waste—we had a cabin waiting in Port Renfrew and a couple of scenic detours on the agenda. Our first stop was  Sheringham Point Lighthouse, a lighthouse that has stood on the rocks above the rugged coastline for over 100 years. The internet told us we needed to stop but we were grateful to just ...

I hate the day before leaving on a trip. There’s always so much to do. (I don’t know how many times I wished I hadn’t procrastinated on things I could have done days ago!) After a day of feeling like the headless chicken, we are finally ready. Bags are packed. Up at the crack of stupid (why did I book an early morning flight?) dragged son #3 out of bed to drive us to the airport checked in for flight Tim Hortons for breakfast at the airport relaxing at the gate All in all a good start to what will be an amazing two weeks in Vancouver Island.

Our two-week road trip from San Francisco to San Diego was everything we had hoped for in our first big post-retirement adventure—ocean views, charming towns, and lazy walks on the pier. But one stop stood out in the most unexpected and unforgettable way: Hearst Castle. We had both heard of it previously.  On a prior trip we had to forgo a stop there as we were short on time. This time, we made sure it was on our itinerary. The Drive Up and the Story Behind the Stone That day was beautiful and sunny with views that stretched on forever. We pulled into the visitor center, grabbed our tickets for the  tour, and boarded the shuttle that snakes its way up through the hills to the estate. As we climbed higher, the landscape opened up—rolling grasslands, oak trees, and wide views of the Pacific behind us. It was hard to believe this same land was once part of William Randolph Hearst’s private playground. The story goes back to the early 1900s, when Hearst, a newspaper tycoon with a ...

  Lights, Camera… Retirement! Our Warner Bros. Studio Tour Adventure During our retirement trip, we spent two weeks exploring California, with a few of those days in the Los Angeles area. As we planned how to make the most of our time there, we knew a studio tour had to be on the list. After doing a bit of research, we decided on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour—and it turned out to be a fantastic choice.  Warner Bros. Studios has been part of Hollywood history for a long time. It was started back in 1923 by four brothers—Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner—who were among the first big names in the movie business. The studio really made its mark with The Jazz Singer in 1927, the first movie with sound that changed filmmaking forever. Today, the studio sits in Burbank, just outside of Los Angeles, and has become famous for creating some of the biggest movies and TV shows of all time—like Casablanca , Friends , and The Big Bang Theory . It’s a place full of stories, both on scr...